Sustainable Transportation Blog

In his massive two-volume book Endgame (2006), author Derrick Jensen holds that civilizations cannot be sustainable -- or, indeed, redeemed. Every aspect of what we refer to as civilization is in his view merely a form of violence and domination and therefore must be “brought down” by whatever means necessary before it destroys the global biosphere and with it, humanity.

This past week Jensen offered another provocative thesis on the Orion Magazine website: that we have been suckered in by a campaign of what he calls "systematic misdirection." His essay, "Forget Shorter Showers" argues that

"consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance. An Inconvenient Truth helped raise consciousness about global warming. But did you notice that all of the solutions presented had to do with personal consumption—changing light bulbs, inflating tires, driving half as much—and had nothing to do with shifting power away from corporations, or stopping the growth economy that is destroying the planet? Even if every person in the United States did everything the movie suggested, U.S. carbon emissions would fall by only 22 percent. Scientific consensus is that emissions must be reduced by at least 75 percent worldwide."

The basis of the argument is that we are not as individuals responsible for the rapaciousness of industrial capitalism, and our individual contributions to problems of environmental degradation and climate change pale when compared to the impacts of industries, government and the military. He quotes Kirkpatrick Sale, who says

"For the past 15 years the story has been the same every year: individual consumption—residential, by private car, and so on—is never more than about a quarter of all consumption; the vast majority is commercial, industrial, corporate, by agribusiness and government [he forgot military]. So, even if we all took up cycling and wood stoves it would have a negligible impact on energy use, global warming and atmospheric pollution...The whole individualist what-you-can-do-to-save-the-earth guilt trip is a myth. We, as individuals, are not creating the crises, and we can’t solve them

Note that Jensen isn't arguing against living simply; what he is saying is that we shouldn't mistake voluntary simplicity for political revolution. Our simple lifestyle allows us to feel virtuous, yet the industrial strip-mining of the natural world still goes on unimpeded. However, while some of the acts of voluntary simplicity he describes (e.g., shorter showers) can't be called political acts, this is not true of Sale's example: cycling. Riding one's bicycle on city streets is a highly visible act, and one that inherently stakes a claim on public infrastructure. As the leftist Daily Kos website put it last week, "Biking is a political act, and each additional cyclist opens the door to safer and saner roads just another crack."

As well, many cyclists supplement their bicycle use with involvement in advocacy organizations. For example, this has been quite true of Winnipeg, home to the Centre for Sustainable Transportation.

What's really changed dramatically in the past few years is the extent and the sophistication of the bike advocacy in this city: there are now no fewer than a dozen active groups out there working to improve cycling conditions. These include:

Bike to the Future promotes cycling as transportation, by advocating for the development and use of bike lanes, designated routes on traffic-calmed streets, and multi-use pathways as part of an interconnected bicycle route network.

Green Leap Forward is an umbrella initiative that includes many organizations and government bodies. It promotes green commuting and recreational options through public events such as Bike to Work Day and the Manitoba Marathon.

One Green City is an advocacy organization that contributed an original plan for a first-class, comprehensive network of
bikeways while attempting to coordinate active transportation groups in Winnipeg.

The Bike Dump is a volunteer-based community bicycle shop that offers tools and the space for users to repair their own bicycles. As well, they offer workshops on various aspects of bicycle mechanics.

The Winnipeg Trails Association represents more than 40 organizations that advocate for - and build - trails and trail connectivity.

The Manitoba Recreational Trails Association helps in the construction of the TransCanada Trail and other trail network.

The Orioles Bike Cage is a community bicycle shop in Winnipeg's West-end that provides expertise, tools, and space, to aid in bicycle repair. Recycled bicycles are sold on a sliding scale.

The Bike Dungeon is a cycle repair teaching shop located at the University of Manitoba.

Sanctoral Cycle Canadian Mennonite University's bike co-op. Sanctoral Cycle seeks to cultivate goods habits of physical health and environmental responsibility by promoting the use of the bicycle as a form of transportation.

The North Winnipeg Commuter Cyclists group was formed to link individuals and organizations committed to promoting the bicycle as a viable mode of transportation in Winnipeg and specifically connecting North Winnipeg to the
rest of the city with active transportation corridors.

West Central Commuter Cyclists is a neighbourhood-based cycling advocacy group which takes on a similar role to North Winnipeg Commuter Cyclists.

As in other major cities, Critical Mass Winnipeg is a leaderless parade of many forms of active transportation which occurs on city streets the last Friday of each month. The aims of those involved in critical mass vary from highlighting sustainable transportation to reclaiming public space.

There is now substantial momentum behind the incorporation of the bicycle into the city's transportation planning. And events such as this week's Bikefest are showing that this movement isn't just about sustainability, but can make the city more fun and livable, too.

Contrary to Jensen's argument, then, simple acts can be political; and in the case of the bicycle, revolutionary. As H.G. Wells once wrote, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the human race."

By Michael Dudley and Andrew Kaufman